Oliver`s Castle Video

Professional Analysis Summary

To date, we've compiled the following summary
of analyses performed by professional video labs that have examined this highly
controversial footage. All but one have confirmed that the footage is 'clean', agreeing
that it appears quite unlikely that the tape was created or enhanced by computer. However
at this point, without being able to examine the original tape, none are willing to commit
their findings to writing.

All US evaluators listed below, except the last, are
professionals who work regularly with computers, advanced image processing, and/or special
effects production for film.

In the US, the following analysts found no 'contamination'
of the tape:

* Jim Dilettoso, president of a state-of-the-art lab and
supercomputer network designer with 20 years' experience in his field, confirmed on the
Sightings television program and in several phone calls I had with him that he is
confident a computer was not used. See my article on The CropCircle Connector for Jim's
credentials and details of his findings. HERE
* Laurel Click, 'special effects expert', said on the Strange Universe television program
that she found nothing to suggest fraud. *If* it's a hoax, she said, it would have taken
very sophisticated equipment, much money, and a large team of professionals a long time to
produce.
* Ralph McCarron, who creates special effects for a major California lab, stated on a
Strange Universe update that after completing his freeze-frame studies and enhanced image
analyses, he's convinced that it's actual footage. He noted that there was consistent
camera-shake throughout the sequence, and that clinched it for him.
* Jim Stevenson is employed by Jim Henson (of Muppets fame) workshops, Hollywood special
effects producers. They were impressed by the 'authentic feel' of the footage. Jim, too,
said that *if* it's hoaxed, it took a lot of sophisticated equipment, money, and time to
create. * Patrick Wilson is a musician, and amateur computer/video operator. He enlarged
the frames and carefully examined the Balls of Light (BOLs). He made a fascinating
discovery, and shares his findings on his website. HERE (You may need to chop
the URL at the last slash for your browser to handle it, then scan the Index for the
'clasps' webpage.)

In the United Kingdom, the following folks also found that
the tape is 'clean':

* Victoria Real is a video editing company in Brighton.
They were impressed with the tape. They cautioned, however, that if it were analysed on an
Avid suite, a frame-by-frame breakdown would only reveal the first field. They maintain
that it's not possible to comparatively evaluate the second field unless the original tape
is examined.

In the US, there is a single analyst "leaning toward
computer-generation":

*Center City Video (Pennsylvania) - A gentleman "with
25 years' experience" who received the tape from Linda Howe told her that from the
first time he saw it he "believed" it was computerised. I do not know what he
was looking for, and Linda had no specifics as to what analyses he performed, if any, to
lead him to his conclusion. I will follow up with this studio.

In the UK, there are two analysts who are
"disquieted" by the footage:

*Lee Winterston and John Huckvale have doubts regarding
single- and double-field intensity. They *think* there is a discrepancy when the BOLs
appear, but Andy Thomas (see below) notes in his report that "what the telltale signs
for this are, and how they discovered them, have not been released." I know Lee, who
is an amateur video producer, UFO-phile, and visitor to The Barge pub (the local
CropCircle folks' watering hole). Lee believes that in general, most Formations are
man-made. Andy adds that no one else who has technically analysed the tape has mentioned
such a discrepancy.

With thanks to Linda Howe for the Center City information,
and to Andy Thomas, editor of * SC *, the CCCS/Sussex Branch's outstanding little
newsletter, for the UK information. Andy dedicated the entire December issue to an
outstanding comprehensive summary of what they've gathered to date regarding this
Enigma-within-an-Enigma. Contact me for their eddress.

More on this investigation, as well as a reconstruction of
events as they occurred that fateful morning of August 11 as relayed by the videographer
to Peter Sorensen, is
included in an article posted on my HomePage on The CropCircle Connector HERE

If anyone has any additional information, or has done
his/her own technical analysis, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thank you kindly.